Be The Wolf

#136 Trust the Spark Before You Have the Plan with CEO, Melissa Perlman

You don't need to know how. You just need to say yes.

Melissa Perlman didn't have construction experience, speak Spanish, or a detailed business plan when she moved to Tulum after 9/11.

She had a spark.

A vision.

And the courage to follow breadcrumbs instead of blueprints.

That spark became Amansala, one of Tulum's most iconic wellness destinations.

Genea and Melissa dive into:

🔹 The moment she negotiated her first hotel on a napkin with a man who couldn't write his own name

🔹 Why she chose to move forward after being forcibly removed from the property she'd rebuilt

🔹 How following the frequency of joy reveals opportunities that control never could

🔹 The practice of trusting small decisions so you can trust the big ones

In this conversation, Genea and Melissa explore what it means to build from joy, experience some big losses, but keep trusting yourself anyway.

 

Connect with Genea:

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

 

Connect with Melissa:

Website: https://www.amansala.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-glee-perlman/

 

About Melissa:

Melissa Perlman is the founder of Amansala, one of Tulum’s most iconic boutique hotels and wellness retreat destinations. A pioneer in experiential travel, she created Bikini Bootcamp, a signature program that has attracted celebrities, CEOs, and wellness seekers from around the world—and helped put Tulum on the global wellness map.

What began as a simple concept—a few beachside rooms and a vision for transformation—grew into a multimillion-dollar hospitality brand rooted in authenticity, community, and conscious living.

Melissa built her business from the ground up, navigating real estate challenges, local politics, legal battles, and the unique complexities of building in Mexico—all while staying true to her mission of creating spaces that inspire personal growth and connection. After being pushed out of her original location—a property she developed by hand—Melissa had to decide whether to walk away or rebuild. She chose to stay, and that decision became the turning point. She not only rebuilt Amansala stronger, but expanded its offerings, refined the brand, and emerged as a thought leader in the boutique wellness space.

Melissa brings a raw and honest perspective to entrepreneurship—sharing how to overcome setbacks, stay financially independent, build a loyal team, and scale without selling out. Today, Amansala continues to thrive under her leadership, with plans to expand globally.

#135 Why Being Selfish is the Most Generous Thing You Can Do

You've been taught that being selfish is bad. That putting others first is virtuous.

That sacrifice is the path to love, respect, and success.

But here's the truth: that mindset is killing your business, your relationships, and your joy.

In this bold episode, Genea dismantles the "service to others" trap and reveals why putting yourself first is the most generous thing you can do.

In this episode, you'll hear:

🔹 The painful conditioning that turned you into a slave to everyone else's expectations
🔹 Why the "employee mindset" keeps you from building the business (and life) you actually want
🔹 The real reason shame and anxiety show up when you try to step into who you are
🔹 How choosing yourself first creates overflow—the kind that actually gives back to the world

If you've ever felt exhausted from being "the strong one," this episode will help you see why breaking free from that pattern is the foundation of everything you want.

Listen now and start reclaiming your autonomy.

Connect with Genea: 

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

 

#134 From Smart to Human: Speak So People Actually Listen with Message Design Consultant, Brian Miller

Being smart isn't the problem. 

You can be brilliant and still invisible.

What may be super clear to you doesn’t always resonate to others.

 And as a result, people don’t remember or care about what you have to say.

Genea talks with Brian Miller, a message design expert who teaches people how to explain big ideas in ways that actually stick. Brian works with scientists, researchers, and industry leaders, but the lessons here? They're for anyone who needs people to understand them.

Entrepreneurs. Leaders. Creatives. Coaches. Experts. And even Parents.  

If you've got something to say and people aren't getting it, this episode is for you.

This conversation gets real about communication:

🔹 Why people don't ask questions when they're lost (and how you're losing them in silence)
🔹 The survival bias that tricks you into thinking you're landing the conversation when you're not
🔹 How saying yes to uncomfortable opportunities creates unexpected transformation
🔹 The one shift that makes your message spread: Audience First, Always

This matters because communication is a major cornerstone to getting what you want out of life and business. Your business only grows when others can talk about what you do. If they don't understand you, they can't share you. And if they can't share you, your message dies with them.

Listen and learn how to make your words move people.

 

Connect with Brian:

Website https://clarityupconsulting.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianmillerspeaks/

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/brianmillerspeaks

Get Access to Brian's Book: https://keynotedesignbook.com

About Brian:

Brian Miller is a former magician turned international keynote speaker on human connection, whose TEDx talk has been viewed 3.6 million times. Today, he’s the founder of Clarity Up, a boutique messaging firm that teaches experts how to explain their big ideas to the rest of us. His team has served hundreds of clients across five continents and 20+ industries, with 34 TEDx talks earning a combined 13 million views and 4 Editor’s Picks. Brian is the 2025 Cicero Speechwriting Award recipient for Social Justice. He believes everything can be said clearly—and he’s on a mission to restore humanity’s faith in experts.

 

Connect with Genea:

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

#133 Your Decision-Making Mechanism Is Why Your Life (And Business) Still Feels Like a Six

On the surface, life and business look good. You're checking all the boxes. But something still feels off.

In this episode, Genea reveals why most entrepreneurs feel like they're living a "level 6 (ir lower) life" even when they've achieved success on paper. 

The issue isn't your strategy, your work ethic, or your talent. 

It's your decision-making mechanism … the invisible autopilot system that's been running your life since childhood.

Genea walks you through:

🔹 The uncomfortable truth about why your life recreates the same emotional patterns from childhood … and how that's keeping your business at a ceiling

🔹 What happens when you make decisions from obligation instead of alignment … and why that creates more frustration and headaches

🔹 The mindset trap that makes you fail even when you have the BEST coaches, mentors, and strategies

🔹 How to know if you're ready to actually change (hint: you'll feel something, and it won't be comfortable)

If you've been working hard, following the rules, and still feeling like something's missing, this episode will help you understand what's really going on beneath the surface.

Listen now to discover how to shift from autopilot to intentional decision-making … and finally create the level 10 life you've been chasing.

 

Connect with Genea: 

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

#132 Money Bulimia: Your Revenue is Growing, but You're Losing Profits with Kimberly Spencer

You can grow revenue and still go broke.

In this episode, Genea sits down with Kimberly Spencer to unpack a pattern most entrepreneurs don't see coming: money bulimia. 

It's the cycle of bringing in more revenue while watching profits vanish, expenses pile up, and cash flow disappear. 

Kimberly knows this pattern intimately because she lived it first with food, then with relationships, and finally with business. 

She traced it back to childhood chaos, the need to control what felt uncontrollable, and a deep-seated belief that she didn't deserve to keep what she earned.

This conversation goes beneath strategy and into the subconscious drivers that keep capable entrepreneurs repeating the same financial patterns over and over.

You'll hear:

🔹 Why childhood patterns dictate how you handle money in business

🔹 How bulimia became the blueprint for business self-sabotage

🔹 How Kimberly went from $115 in annual revenue to scaling multiple six figures by addressing the real problem

🔹 What happens when you finally trust yourself instead of repeating what looks good on paper

If your business feels like a cycle of progress and loss, this episode will help you see the pattern you've been repeating and what it takes to break it.

 

Connect with Kimberly:

Website: https://www.crownyourself.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crownyourselfnow

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberly.spencer 

 

 

About Kimberly: 

Kimberly Spencer is an award-winning high-performance, trauma-informed coach, TEDx speaker, the founder of Crown Yourself® and CEO of Communication Queens, and #1 bestselling author of “Make Every Podcast Want You: How to Become So Radically Interesting You’ll Barely Keep from Interviewing Yourself" which was named one of the "Top Books of 2024 to Change Your Life" by Foureva Media in NYC's Times Square.

From her entrepreneurial beginnings on the streets of suburbia selling bags of glitter water at five to her neighbors to becoming an award-winning screenwriter, certified Pilates instructor, Miss Congeniality, and having a successful exit as president of a national e-commerce company, Kimberly is proof that it's better to make your own mold than to conform to someone else's.

With 2X  award-nominated top podcasts for her businesses, Crown Yourself® and Communication Queen, Kimberly is elevating the conversation for visionary leaders to get their voices heard, leveraging strategy + spirituality.

A warrior for humankind's infinite possibility and an unsinkable optimist, this mom of three is on a quest to revolutionize mindsets from fear to faith so that you can stand in your power. 

Her work has been featured on Netflix, The CW, ESPN, Chicken Soup for the Soul, NPR, Thrive Global, CNBC, and Forbes.

Connect with Genea: 

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

 

#131 Trauma Is Not Your Truth: Reclaiming Freedom in Life + Business

Most people live a life defined by trauma … without even knowing it. 

In this episode, Genea dismantles the misconceptions around trauma. 

She reveals why most people stay trapped in cycles that prevent them from ever getting what they want. 

She exposes how unprocessed emotions from overwhelming events create false stories about who we are. 

And how these stories end up running our businesses, relationships, and entire lives.

Genea gets raw about trauma. And gives you a clear path to not letting it be the excuse as to why your life is not the way you want it to be.  

She breaks down what happens to your nervous system when you experience traumatic events. And how it keeps you focused on what you don't want instead of what you want to create.

This conversation dives deep into:

🔹 The moment your nervous system decided you couldn't handle something and why it's still protecting you from it

 🔹 The difference between trauma emotions and the shame stories we build around them

🔹 Why talking about trauma without identifying and processing the root emotions just reinforces the prison 

🔹 The three-stage journey from emotional overwhelm to complete neutrality and freedom

If you've ever felt like your past is secretly running your present, this episode will help you reclaim the freedom to be who you actually are.

 

Connect with Genea: 

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

#130 The Dark Side of Rapid Success and How to Avoid It with Nik Agharkar

Most entrepreneurs dream of the windfall moment when everything takes off. 

Nik Agharkar lived it and discovered why it's not always a dream come true.

His innovative approach to client acquisition exploded his law practice from nothing to $5M in nine months. 

But success without structure became his nightmare. 

The very growth he'd fought for forced him to sell his practice and become an employee again. 

Now, Nik's playing an entirely different game. 

In this honest conversation with Genea, he shares what he's learned about sustainable growth versus unsustainable speed.

 

The insights that emerged from this conversation:

🔹 The anger and hubris that fueled his first business leap and nearly destroyed it

🔹 Why the dopamine hit of constant growth becomes an addiction that blinds you to problems

🔹 The mindset shift from "I'll show them" to "what do I actually want?" 

🔹 How building slowly with intention creates more sustainable freedom than racing to scale

Listen, if you've ever wondered whether there's a way to grow that doesn't require sacrificing everything else you care about.

 

Connect with Nik:

email: nik at crownepointtax.com

Website: https://www.crownepointtax.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crownepoint_tax/ 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikagharkar/

 

Connect with Genea:  

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

About Nik: 

Nikhil (Nik) Agharkar, Esq. is a seasoned counselor with nearly two decades of experience guiding individuals, families, and business owners through the complexities of wealth preservation, tax strategy, and legacy planning. 

A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with dual degrees in Economics and Public Policy, Nik combines analytical precision with a deep understanding of law, finance, and public systems to deliver tailored, impactful solutions. 

Nik is especially known for his ability to uncover powerful, often-overlooked provisions in the tax code to develop creative, compliant strategies that reduce tax burdens and support long-term financial security, particularly when paired with asset protection vehicles. He is an expert in law, economics, finance, and public policy.

#129 Stop Hiding: The Truth About Who You Really Are

Most successful people are living someone else's version of their life without even realizing it.

You know exactly who you're supposed to be in every situation.

You've learned to tone down your excitement, dim your personality, and hide the parts that might make others uncomfortable.

The problem?

You've gotten so good at being what everyone needs that you've completely lost touch with what lights you up.

Genea dives deep into why high-achievers often feel empty despite external success and how the "hologram self" we create for safety actually blocks us from experiencing genuine fulfillment in business and life.

🔹 Why authenticity has been scientifically measured as 400 times more powerful than love 

🔹 The cost of protecting everyone else from your real personality and desires 

🔹 How your authentic frequency attracts what brings you joy, freedom, love, and peace automatically 

🔹 The life and world shift that happens when you finally show up as yourself

This episode is for entrepreneurs who are tired of accommodating everyone else and ready to claim a life and business that actually gives them the joy, satisfaction, and freedom they deserve.

 

Connect with Genea: 

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

#128 The Power of the Pause: How Slowing Down Speeds Everything Up with Arthur Barnes

Connect with Arthur:

Connect to Arthur:

Email: arbarnesbiz@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arthur.r.barnes/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coacharthursupermanbarnes/

 

Connect with Genea: 

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

 

About Arthur:

Arthur R. Barnes is a Certified Mindset Coach, Neuroscience Practitioner, and High-Flow Performance Strategist with over 32 years in ministry and pastoral leadership.

A 7-figure business builder, Arthur helps faith-driven entrepreneurs, real estate professionals, and executive leaders align their mindset, mission, and momentum—without burnout.

His signature belief? “There’s always another level.”

Through soul-rooted strategy and system-driven coaching, Arthur empowers you to grow a business that feels like you—bold, purpose-filled, and wildly impactful.💡

Arthur Helps You:

✔ Shift your beliefs to match your next level

✔ Build a legacy-aligned business without burnout

✔ Grow a powerful, paid, and purpose-driven network

✔ Create clarity, confidence, and consistent action

✔ Align your identity with your income, impact, and influence

 

🚀 Ready for Your Next Level? Let’s Build It Together. If your spirit’s been stirred and you know you’re called to more—clarity, income, impact—it’s time for a conversation that changes the game.

🎯 This isn’t a sales pitch. It’s a sacred space to map out your next level—with a coach who honors both your ambition and your anointing.

📅 Schedule your 1-on-1 discovery call now https://calendar.app.google/SMmA7BSoKtKJSQrv6

Your purpose is too precious to leave on pause. Is there anything else you would like the audience to have access to?

Click Here to get your free digital copy of my Real Estate Bookhttps://arthurbarnes.book.live/buyer-book

#127 The Trailblazer Truth Nobody Talks About

Building something the world doesn't understand requires more than strategy and determination.

It requires the internal capacity to withstand loss, criticism, and the constant voice in your head saying you should just do what everyone else is doing.

Most entrepreneurs think they want to be trailblazers until they face the real cost.

In this episode, Genea reveals the messy, powerful truth about what it takes to carve your own path and why most people give up before they ever really begin.

Here's what this episode explores:

🔹 The moment Genea chose to dismantle her entire San Francisco life and why destruction had to come before creation 

🔹 Why the "lone wolf" isn't who you think it is, and the real story behind choosing your own path

🔹 What Genea learned from defying her astrologer's advice and why trusting yourself matters more than anyone's forecast 

🔹 The freedom that comes from being willing to lose everything for your vision

This is for entrepreneurs who are done playing small and ready to trust what they know in their bones

 

Connect with Genea: 

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

 

About Genea:

Genea Barnes is a Performance Coach for Entrepreneurs, Speaker, and Podcast Host. 

She helps entrepreneurs create more money, impact, and joy by expanding your Success Zone. This results in solid, steady growth while working less and using fewer sales, marketing, and money-making strategies. 

Her custom state-of-the-art system saved her own business from financial ruin and is based on 20 years of experience, study, and training with leading experts.

She's helped hundreds of people take their businesses and lives to the next level giving them time freedom, financial breakthroughs, and more joy. She believes that when you unleash the power of YOU, humanity evolves.

#126 Letting Go to Level Up: What You Must Release to Rise with Carrie Trabue, Founder, CEO, Author

The most successful people aren't the ones who learned to be perfect. They're the ones who learned to be real.

Genea welcomes Carrie Trabue, former trial lawyer and CEO, for a conversation that cuts straight to the heart of what it takes to step into your authentic power. From surviving sexual harassment in her early legal career to launching LawSphere at midlife, Carrie's journey reveals how our greatest challenges often become our greatest strengths.

This episode explores the messy, necessary process of shedding the versions of ourselves we created to survive, fit in, and keep others comfortable. It's about the courage required to move from background singer to lead singer in your own life.

Here's the transformation you'll witness: 

🔹 How walking on eggshells with a narcissistic father developed the intuition that guides her business today 

🔹 Why letting go of the "casserole train" became the first step toward claiming her power

🔹 Why her "worst" quality became her competitive advantage as an entrepreneur 

🔹 The internal knowing test that guides her biggest decisions without needing anyone's approval

This conversation will leave you questioning what you're willing to release to become who you're meant to be.

 

Connect with Carrie:

Website: https://lawsphere.com/

Carrie's Book: https://www.carrington-smith.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carringtonatx/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carriesmithtrabue/

 

About Carrie: 

 

 

Carrie Smith Trabue is the Co-Founder & President of LawSphere, a newly launched online community for lawyers. Carrie worked as a trial lawyer for seven years and has been the CEO of Carrington Legal Search for the last 25 years, where she listened to the hopes, complaints, problems, and desires of thousands of lawyers nationwide. 

 

LawSphere was born out of her desire to address the needs of lawyers and give back to the industry she loves. A best-selling author and mother of two college-age children, Carrie is passionate about living a purpose-driven life. She is the author of Blooming: Finding Gifts in the Shit of Life. She is a graduate of Tulane Law School (along with David) and the University of Texas. She resides in Austin.

 

Some quotes she lives by:

*With adversity comes opportunity.

*Mindset is a muscle. Be disciplined with your internal dialogue. It determines the outcome of your life.

*Seek not success, but instead seek to provide value in all that you do.

*It's an Instagram world, and I'm living life unfiltered. 

 

Connect with Genea: 

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

#125 Why You Can't Make YOUR Dreams Come True But Can Move Mountains for Others

It's the paradox every high-achieving entrepreneur knows but rarely admits: you can execute flawlessly for clients, plan perfect events for friends, and solve everyone else's problems with ease.

But when it comes to your own dreams and business vision, you procrastinate, doubt, and second-guess every move.

In this episode, Genea reveals the hidden programming that creates this pattern and why it's not a willpower problem.

She shares her own story of completing a meaningful photography project only by tricking her subconscious into making it about others, and breaks down the two distinct paths every entrepreneur faces.

🔹 The employee mindset that makes you bend over backward for clients while neglecting your vision 

🔹 Why straight-A students often become struggling entrepreneurs 

🔹 The cultural programming that teaches us to ignore our internal compass 

🔹 How to start operating in service to yourself without becoming selfish

This isn't about productivity hacks or time management. It's about rewiring the fundamental programming that determines whether you build a business that traps you or sets you free.

 

Connect with Genea: 

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

About Genea:

Genea Barnes is a Performance Coach for Entrepreneurs, Speaker, and Podcast Host. 

She helps entrepreneurs create more money, impact, and joy by expanding your Success Zone. This results in solid, steady growth while working less and using fewer sales, marketing, and money-making strategies. 

Her custom state-of-the-art system saved her own business from financial ruin and is based on 20 years of experience, study, and training with leading experts.

She's helped hundreds of people take their businesses and lives to the next level giving them time freedom, financial breakthroughs, and more joy. She believes that when you unleash the power of YOU, humanity evolves.

#124 When $140M Isn't Enough: Redefining Success from the Inside Out with Peter Kennedy

Peter Kennedy built and sold Tagger Media for $140 million.

On paper, he had everything. In reality, he was chasing his grandfather's identity and running from the belief that he was fundamentally broken.

The day after closing the deal, he woke up deeply depressed, realizing that all the success in the world couldn't fill the void inside.

In this raw conversation, Peter shares his journey from fear-driven CEO to conscious leader building an AI company that puts employee growth above profits.

This isn't just another success story … it's a blueprint for what happens when you stop running from yourself and start building from who you really are.

Here's what we dive into:

🔹 The moment he realized no one cared about his $140M win and what that taught him about validation

🔹 The identity trap that keeps successful people feeling like failures inside

🔹 The plant medicine experience that cracked open his fear-based patterns and changed the way he looked at everything

🔹 How his new company operates from love instead of fear and why that's changing lives.

If you've ever wondered whether the success you're chasing will actually fulfill you, this conversation will give you permission to redefine what winning really means.

 

Connect with Peter:

Website: https://www.evolveweird.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therememberingbook/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkennedy182/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the.remembering4

About Peter:

Peter Kennedy is a father of five, entrepreneur, and author of The Remembering—a raw, immersive memoir chronicling his journey from high-functioning overachiever to awakened, embodied man.

He built and led Tagger Media to a $140M acquisition by Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT), living a life that looked perfect on paper but felt painfully empty inside.

For years, Peter chased success to outrun a deeper truth: beneath the polished image was a boy who believed he had to earn love to be worthy of it.

Everything changed during a temazcal ceremony in the jungles of Brazil. That night cracked open the illusion of control and set him on a path of radical surrender and soul-level healing.

His journey led him through plant medicine ceremonies (iboga, ayahuasca, psilocybin), somatic therapy, a 10-day darkness retreat, and the dismantling of everything he thought success required.

Today, Peter is the co-founder of EvolveWell Inc., an AI-powered platform designed to help coaches support their clients between sessions.

At EvolveWell, growth isn’t a buzzword—it’s a business model.

The company prioritizes the personal evolution of its team above all else, redefining what conscious business can look and feel like.

 

Connect with Genea:

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

#123 Why Doing Everything "Right" Is Tanking Your Business

You've read the books. Hired the coaches. Built the funnels. Posted daily. Optimized everything. And somehow your business still feels like you're pushing a boulder uphill.

In this episode, Genea exposes the hidden pattern that's been sabotaging entrepreneurs for years: the subconscious need to please others, follow rules, and avoid judgment. When you're more worried about doing things "right" than doing what's right for you, your business becomes a prison instead of freedom.

This isn't about strategy. It's about the invisible decision-making mechanism that's been running your life.

Here's what Genea uncovers in this game-changing conversation:

🔹 How childhood survival patterns show up as business self-sabotage 

🔹 The 35,000 daily decisions that are moving you away from what you want to create

🔹 Why "should" is the most dangerous word in entrepreneurship 

🔹 A simple visualization tool to reclaim your power and make decisions from your truth

 

If you've ever felt like you're building someone else's business instead of your own, this episode will help you start creating from your own truth.

Connect with Genea:

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

 

 

About Genea:

Genea Barnes is a Performance Coach for Entrepreneurs, Speaker, and Podcast Host. 

She helps entrepreneurs create more money, impact, and joy by expanding your Success Zone. This results in solid, steady growth while working less and using fewer sales, marketing, and money-making strategies. 

Her custom state-of-the-art system saved her own business from financial ruin and is based on 20 years of experience, study, and training with leading experts.

She's helped hundreds of people take their businesses and lives to the next level giving them time freedom, financial breakthroughs, and more joy. She believes that when you unleash the power of YOU, humanity evolves.

#122 Your Brand Is What People Say Behind Your Back: Are You Fake or Authentic?

Drew O’Brien is the first to tell you he was being a fake in his business.

He was a successful designer teaching clients about authentic branding while wearing a costume of khakis and button-downs, speaking in a voice that wasn't his own, trying to be who he thought would get paid.

In this conversation, Genea explores the exhausting performance of entrepreneurship and the courage it takes to stop being who you think people want and start being who you are.

Drew's transformation from "The Design Company" to "We Make Cool Shit" isn't just a rebrand. It's a masterclass in what happens when you finally bet on yourself  … your TRUE self.

Genea and Drew dive deep into the transformation that happens when you choose authenticity over approval:

🔹 The fear that kept him wearing khakis to client meetings for years 

🔹 Why his biggest breakthrough came from making stickers as a joke 

🔹 How losing his dream job became the best thing that ever happened to him 

🔹 The difference between earning fake money and eating what you kill

If you've ever felt like you're performing your way through business instead of building from who you really are ...

This conversation will remind you that your authenticity isn't just nice to have … it's your greatest competitive advantage.

 

Connect with Drew: 

Website: https://www.wemakecoolshit.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wemakecoolshit/

Strategy Consultation: https://www.wemakecoolshit.co/free-design-strategyconsultation

 

About Make Cool Shit:

We Build Brands That Kick Doors Down.

 

Connect with Genea: 

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

 

#121 Why You're Working So Hard and Still Not Growing

The feeling that there's never enough time, money, or energy isn't just stress. It's the invisible force controlling your business decisions.

Most entrepreneurs don't realize they're operating from lack.

They think they're being strategic, responsible, efficient.

But Genea reveals how this underlying emotion creates a cycle of short-term choices that keep you busy but not growing.

From procrastination to people-pleasing to that constant feeling of being behind, it all traces back to the same source.

 

This episode uncovers the patterns that keep you spinning:

🔹 The yo-yo cycle from superwoman mode to complete burnout that destroys sustainable growth 🔹 Why your communication with clients and team feels stressful even when nothing's wrong
🔹 How lack makes you attractive to the worst clients while repelling the ones you actually want
🔹 The path from survival mode thinking to decisions that create lasting success

Listen if you're ready to understand why your hard work isn't translating to the growth you want.

Connect with Genea:

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

 

 

About Genea:

Genea Barnes is a Performance Coach for Entrepreneurs, Speaker, and Podcast Host. 

She helps entrepreneurs create more money, impact, and joy by expanding your Success Zone. This results in solid, steady growth while working less and using fewer sales, marketing, and money-making strategies. 

Her custom state-of-the-art system saved her own business from financial ruin and is based on 20 years of experience, study, and training with leading experts.

She's helped hundreds of people take their businesses and lives to the next level giving them time freedom, financial breakthroughs, and more joy. She believes that when you unleash the power of YOU, humanity evolves.

 

#120 The Truth About Belonging, Boundaries, and Being Uncancellable with Meagan O'Nan (human connection consultant)

What if the hardest conversations are actually the gateway to your deepest connections?

Megan O'Nan learned this the hard way when she was outed in Mississippi and faced rejection from everyone she loved. Instead of running forever, she came back to heal those relationships and discovered something powerful: when you lead with your vulnerability instead of your defenses, everything changes.

In this conversation with Genea, Megan shares the tools that transformed her most painful relationships into her strongest ones.

Here's what they explored together:

🔹 The devastating moment when support turned to Bible verses and rejection 

🔹 How cancel culture lives in our phones, but connection happens face-to-face

🔹 The simple question that dissolves defensiveness and opens hearts 

🔹 Why safety comes from within yourself, not from controlling other people's opinions

This episode is for anyone who's tired of surface level connection in business and life. And for those who are ready to risk being seen for who they really are.

Connect with Meagan:

Website: https://www.meaganonan.com/

TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWuBaXuALB0

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megonan/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meaganonan/

Speaker Slam Winning Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV7iIHEB3RM

About Meagan:

Meagan O’Nan is a human connection consultant, 3x award-winning author, award-winning international speaker, and TEDx speaker who brings over 15 years of experience helping people find common ground in uncommon conversations.

She has worked with organizations like the Red Cross National, Inspire Brands, Toyota, and school districts and colleges across the country — guiding leaders, educators, and teams to create cultures where people feel seen, heard, and valued.

Her work has been featured in Forbes, New York Weekly, FOX 13 Seattle, Brainz Magazine, and Authority Magazine to name a few. Her recent TEDx Talk, “What To Do When You Disagree With Someone You Love,” has garnered over 70,000 views in just a month since its launch.

Through her storytelling, Meagan doesn’t just talk about connection — she creates it. She reminds us that we don’t have to agree to belong to each other.

Connect with Genea:

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

#119 Why Manifestation and Personal Growth Aren’t Growing Your Business

You've invested in courses, worked with coaches, and followed all the manifestation advice. Yet your business still feels like an uphill battle.

In this episode, Genea reveals why the popular "become the person who has what you want" formula keeps entrepreneurs spinning their wheels instead of creating real change. Through a powerful story about a business owner who overcame bullying but created new problems, she shows how focusing on surface-level traits like consistency and discipline misses the deeper work that actually transforms your results.

Here's what this conversation will shift for you:

🔹 Why chasing traits like consistency and resilience might be reinforcing the wrong identity 

🔹 The hidden fear patterns that create enemies and conflict 

🔹 How to dig down to who you need to become so success becomes inevitable

🔹 The difference between fighting back and becoming truly unbothered by criticism

If you're tired of working on yourself without seeing it translate to business growth, this episode will show you where to focus your energy instead.

 

Connect with Genea:

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

 

 

About Genea:

Genea Barnes is a Performance Coach for Entrepreneurs, Speaker, and Podcast Host. 

 

She helps entrepreneurs create more money, impact, and joy by expanding your Success Zone. This results in solid, steady growth while working less and using fewer sales, marketing, and money-making strategies. 

 

Her custom state-of-the-art system saved her own business from financial ruin and is based on 20 years of experience, study, and training with leading experts.

 

She's helped hundreds of people take their businesses and lives to the next level giving them time freedom, financial breakthroughs, and more joy. She believes that when you unleash the power of YOU, humanity evolves.

#118 Why Successful Entrepreneurs Embrace Change (even when it's terrifying) with Lifestyle and Business Strategist, Kathy Feather

In this episode, Genea sits down with business and lifestyle strategist Kathy Feather to explore the uncomfortable truth about change resistance in business. 

Together, they dive into why successful entrepreneurs must embrace change, even when it feels terrifying.

Through Kathy's journey from risk-averse corporate employee to business owner, listeners gain insight into the real reasons many entrepreneurs resist change and how it silently caps their growth. 

For anyone who feels the tension between security and freedom, this conversation illuminates the path forward.

Listen as they explore:

🔹 The moment Kathy realized her security-first mindset was costing her everything 

🔹 Why most entrepreneurs stay paralyzed by technology fear until pain forces them to change 

🔹 How your brain makes terrible business decisions when you're tired or depleted 

🔹 The surprising freedom that comes from finally trusting yourself to navigate uncertainty

Whether you're contemplating a business leap or simply tired of playing small, this episode delivers the honest perspective needed to move beyond fear and into your full entrepreneurial power.

 

Connect with Kathy: 

[free gift] Tech Audit Cheat Sheet: https://cs.kfeathersolutionsllc.com/TechSheet

Website: https://www.kfeathersolutionsllc.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynfeather/

Blog: https://www.kfeathersolutionsllc.com/blog

Appointment link: https://www.kfeathersolutionsllc.com/appointment 

 

About Kathy: 

Kathy is the owner of K Feather Solutions LLC. She serves as a Business and Lifestyle Strategist to coaches and course creators. 

Kathy understands the unique challenge of balancing purpose-driven coaching with sustainable growth. That's why she offers tailored solutions designed to reclaim your time & amplify your impact.

With 20 years of corporate and consulting experience guiding teams to successful project delivery, her Blueprint to Freedom process is straightforward and customer-focused. Just a commitment to understanding your unique needs and providing tailored solutions that fit them.

From strategic planning that aligns with your vision to seamless technology management that streamlines your workflows and even personalized travel planning for essential retreats or well-deserved breaks, her services empower you to build a thriving business that fuels your passion while allowing you to fully support your clients' journey.

 

Connect with Genea:

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

 

#117 Everything You Know About Business Mindset is Bullsh*t

When you've tried multiple coaches, courses, and "proven" systems but still can't break through to consistent success, the issue isn't what you're doing.

It's the psychology driving every decision you make.

In this episode, Genea reveals why traditional mindset work barely scratches the surface and what's really keeping you from the business growth you want.

Here's what this conversation will shift for you:

🔹 Why your brain makes business decisions based on what happened before you turned 12 

🔹 How your parents' relationship with success became your subconscious operating system 

🔹 The moment at age 2 that created a shame-accomplishment link in Genea's brain 

🔹 The difference between understanding something and having the breakthrough that changes everything

If you've been working hard but not seeing the results, this episode will help you see what's been invisible.

 

Connect with Genea:

[free guide] Grow Your Business and Love Doing it with the 3 secrets the business gurus NEVER talk about: http://bethewolfgift.com/

Website: http://bethewolfnow.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geneabarnes/

 

About Genea:

Genea Barnes is a Performance Coach for Entrepreneurs, Speaker, and Podcast Host. 

She helps entrepreneurs create more money, impact, and joy by expanding your Success Zone. This results in solid, steady growth while working less and using fewer sales, marketing, and money-making strategies. 

Her custom state-of-the-art system saved her own business from financial ruin and is based on 20 years of experience, study, and training with leading experts.

She's helped hundreds of people take their businesses and lives to the next level giving them time freedom, financial breakthroughs, and more joy. She believes that when you unleash the power of YOU, humanity evolves.